


Apple Juice and Coffee

by Rochesa



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Coffee, Definitely suggestive stuff, Drama, F/M, Fluff, Give him breads, He doesn't have close friends so he wants to get close to you, He just wants to keep his brother safe, He knows way more than you think but he just doesn't say anything about it, He love bread, He really likes you, I have been waiting to use that tag, Just Add Kittens, Lots of cute doodles from Papy, Maybe smut...., Papy really likes cats, Papyrus buys you gifts a lot because talking is weird for him, Papyrus cries a lot, Papyrus doesn't talk much, Papyrus in this AU has social anxiety and mild autism, Papyrus is 7', Papyrus is curious about you, Papyrus is slightly rebellious, Prejudice Against Monsters (Undertale), Reader can bake!!, Reader's soul is green, SO MUCH FLUFF, Sans is 6', Sans is gonna fucking hate you be ready, Swapfell Papyrus (Undertale), Swapfell-Gold AU, THIS IS IMPULSE BECAUSE I FOUND OUT ABOUT HIM AND I NEEDED TO WRITE, That causes problems, Very very suggestive stuff, Violence, Writing, You let it slide cause you know what its like to be lonely, You try not to fuel it but indirectly do, You work late night shift, Youre like 5'5, hes so precious, lots of miscommunication, notebooks, possible kidnapping, so much coffee
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2019-09-05 23:19:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,041
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16820461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rochesa/pseuds/Rochesa
Summary: i have no excuse for this one just know i have way too many fanfics now.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> i have no excuse for this one just know i have way too many fanfics now.

Working late nights were something you always wanted to do. It was always a lot calmer and most of what you did was stocking and rearranging shelves, so social interaction was kept to a minimum. You always looked forward to walking past your favorite snack machine on the way home. It sat just outside of a quaint little corner store that stayed open way too late to be actually real, but you stopped by to say hi to the owners once in a while.

They were nice people either way. After you closed up the grocery store and got to walking home, you put one earbud in, walking in tune with the song you were listening to. Peaceful night walks home are exactly why you loved working so late. Today, however, was not peaceful. God no it wasn't at all. Not in the slightest. Before you even got close to walking past your favorite vending machine, you were shaken by what you were hearing. 

"So monster, tell us why you were walking around in our neighborhood huh?" You paused just around the corner of the alley, taking your earbuds out and tucking them away. You took your phone out and pressed record, setting it back in your pocket. Carefully...you stepped into the alley. What you saw nearly broke your heart. There was a tall, hooded figure, curled up on the grimy pavement, sniffling and crying, 4 men standing around their figure and cursing. 

This was way out of your league to handle, but you had a plan. You stepped into the alley and looked around for anything before you remembered. You shuffled through your bag and pulled out the mace you always carried and whistled. You had your hand tucked in your pocket still as you marched up, to them. They all turned to face you, your stomach churning from the whole situation. One of them could hurt you but someone needed help.

The hooded figure on the ground sat up, shaking and clutching something to their chest. They stood, very slowly and- whoa they were tall. They easily towered over the three men surprisingly. One of them stood to get eye level with you, the other three lining up next to them. _Perfect._ "What the fuck do you want little lady huh?" You inhaled sharply and eyed all of them. "Nothing...Just. Let him go." You said as best you could.

Your voice was shaky at best, but you could manage. One of the guys scoffed and once all their eyes were on you, you sprayed them. You arm whipped up quick enough to get all of them in the face, delighted they all recoiled back enough for you to grab the hooded figure, bolting out of the alley with him. He ran way faster than you and eventually, he scooped you up, keeping his insane pace up while he ran. He slowed down just a few blocks from the corner store, setting you down in a huff.

He nearly dropped you, before he slumped down to sit. You heard quiet hiccups, then shaky breaths before flat out sobbing. They weren't loud but definitely heartbreaking to hear. You stayed away for a few moments before walking up to them, gently patting their shoulder. "You ok? Did they hurt you?" They looked up from their gloved hands and shakily nodded. You couldn't see much of their face since their hood was obscuring it. 

"Hey...There's a vending machine not far from here, let's go get you a bottle of water to calm down ok?" They nodded and stood, digging through the small pocket on the front of their sweater, they pulled out...a little notebook. They flipped through it quickly, before settling on a page. After a few seconds, they pulled a pen to go with the book and stared intently at you. 

..Or tried to. But they looked in your general direction. A few tense moments later and they were furiously scribbling in the notebook before they spun it around to show you. You cautiously took it and looked at the page. In the left corner was a tiny doodle of your face! And a small halo above your head and angel wings to compliment it. You smiled before you read what else they wrote.

_my name is papyrus. what's your name?_

And a little doodle of a skull next to the name. A skull? Well, those guys did say this person was a monster. You looked up at the hooded person again, a bit startled when they handed you the pen for you to write something in return. You quickly scribbled something down.

_my name is (y/n)._

You handed the book back, smiling to yourself while he took the book back. They read it over, looking down at you again. They tucked the book into their pocket, pen as well and reached for their hood. They pulled it back and...

Ok, the skull made sense now. They were a skeleton! They crouched down far enough to meet your gaze, arms still held close to their chest. They looked at you curiously, and now you could see their face better too. Two gold metal pieces were on his canines, which were oddly long and slightly pointed. Their face was angular and the darkness of their sockets was a bit alarming, but you couldn't look away. They opened their mouth to speak, mumbling quietly to you. "thank you..." They croaked, well strained, to say. They reached out a hand to you and gently pat your head. 

They stood quickly and threw their hood over their head, looking back down at you. You snapped out of your daze long enough to speak to them. "Oh! Yeah, no! You needed the help and I would have been an idiot to keep walking." He tensed at your words, his shoulders hunching up ever so slightly. He pulled out the notebook again and flipped back to the page he had, scribbling something down. 

He handed it to you for you to read. 

_you said there was a vending machine close by?_

You nodded and handed the book back to him, gesturing ahead of you. You both walked in relative silence, say for the quiet chirping of crickets and buzzing of energy through the lamp posts. He was wringing his hands together the entire walk until finally, you stumbled up to the vending machine. He stepped in front of you and eyed it curiously before a soft gasp came from him. "I can treat you if you want." 

He looked at you, his hands clutched to his chest still. He nodded softly and pulled out his book again, scribbling something down. 

_those men took the money i had with me. im sorry that you have to pay._

You took the book and read it, sighing, mostly in anger. "It's fine. I can at least treat you for what you've been through." It dawned upon you. "Do you have anyone to go to..after this?" He tensed up and scribbled something down again.

_my brother._

You nodded. "Do you have a phone to call him?" He wrote something again.

_they took that too._

You grumbled to yourself and tugged your phone from your pocket, finally stopping the record button and handing it to him. "Call your brother to come pick you up ok? I'll wait here with you until he comes." He nodded and dialed, stepping on the other side of the machine. You heard faint mumbling and muffled shouting. A bit more mumbling. Then the dial tone for when someone hangs up. He handed you your phone back and looked at the machine again. 

"What'd you want?" You looked over the selection again before pointing to a can of coffee. You nodded and took out your own wallet, putting in a 5 dollar bill and tapping in the number. The can fell to the box at the bottom and he grabbed it, holding it to his chest. You got yourself an apple juice carton, smiling to yourself. You still had 2.50 left over. "You want anything else?" He tilted his head at you. He wrote something out again.

_you dont have to do that. youve done enough_

You waved your hand dismissively and looked through the selection. He pointed at one of the sweets. _Cat shaped chocolate bread._ You shrugged and punched the number in for that, letting it fall to the bottom before you handed it to him. He nodded at you before writing something down. 

_thank you._

You smiled, handing him the book back. "As long as you're ok." He nodded and you both sat on the small bench just outside the corner store. He cracked open the can of coffee and took a small sip, a soft click noise catching your attention. He was doodling in his notebook from what you could tell, but you tried not to stare much. While he drew though, his sleeve would ride up just enough for you to see his wrist, where yep, it was bone. 

What an odd thing. The thing that got you nearly dropping your apple juice was distant yelling. Someone was extremely upset. Papyrus stood from the bench and waved at you, going to meet the figure who was just a bit too far to see. He met them halfway and in a few seconds, the screaming died down and went to just gesturing back and forth. During the confrontation, Papyrus gestured to you for a brief second. You tensed. 

The other figure turned to you and if you were crazy, you'd thought you saw a giant dog skull flicker behind them before disappearing. Papyrus waved to you one more time before the other figure walked off with him. You stood, and quickly made your way home. What a way to end the night. 

Thankfully, Saturday and Sunday were your off days. You stretched out of bed and gracefully fell to the floor with a flourish, yelping once you made contact with the floor. You shot up and groaned, lounging back into your mattress before you decided you do something today. Or not. Another nap sounded good enough for you...

By the time you got up and actually tried to think of what to do with your day, you were walking to the vending machine again, wallet in your pocket and a grin on your face. It was nice to take a walk anyway. Your day had been lazy until now so you'd linger until it got dark enough to walk around the central park. What you didn't expect was to see the tall skeleton you saved from yesterday. 

He was sitting on the bench and his lap was literally **_brimming_** with coffee cans and chocolate cat bread. He had his notebook on the pile, scribbling and doodling stuff furiously until he looked up and spotted you. He had a load of the cat bread in his jaw, fangs having already punctured the damn thing. You smiled and waved, going to the vending machine to grab yourself some apple juice and strawberry cat bread. You plopped down on the bench next to him and he quickly flipped the pages in his notebook, presumably back to the page from yesterday, and scribbled something excitedly. He handed the book to you.

_its nice to see you again so soon. i was hoping i would._

Your heart fluttered in your chest. What a sweet guy. You smiled at him and nodded. "Nice to see you too Papyrus! Did you and your brother get home safe?" He nodded and wrote something else down. 

_he was a bit mad i didnt call him right away, but he let me come out again. told me to get home sooner though._

He munched on the bread he had in his mouth, looking down at his notebook for a few tense seconds. He flipped the page and started drawing again, furiously. You sipped your apple juice and went to open the bread before he tapped you, trying to get your attention. You looked at what he had to show you and gasped. It was a little doodle of you again, but with a bigger set of angel wings on your back. He was deadpanning odd enough though, his sockets crinkled at the ends as if he was squinting at you. 

"This is really pretty Papyrus. Thank you, you drew me really fuckin good." He gasped at your cursing. "Oh, uh. Sorry about that." He shook his head with a soft smile, flipping back to the other page. He showed you what he wrote again. 

_i got another phone._

You beamed at him. "That's great!" He nodded and wrote something down. 

_did you wanna hang out tomorrow? i wanna properly thank you for helping me._

You looked up at him again. "You don't have to treat me to anything! I'm fine with just hanging out." 

_alright. you can write your number down in here_

You took the book and the pen and wrote it down swiftly, smiling as he took the book and tucked it away in his jacket pockets. His phone abruptly rang, which made you drop your apple juice. You waited for your clothes to be soiled and juice wasted, but it never came. When you opened your eyes, the can was hovering midair, coated in an orange glow. Papyrus had one hand up, staring at it. You looked at him before you grabbed the can. "Whoa...thank you.." You whispered. He nodded and answered his phone. 

That same angry yelling from yesterday came on the other end followed by mumbling from Papyrus. The call ended and he stood, stuffing his pockets and arms with as much of his snacks he could. He turned to you and smiled before he spoke. "see you tomorrow..."

Something about his voice sent a chill through you. You nodded at him. He darted off in the direction he left yesterday, with a skip in his long step. 

This would be interesting. 


	2. Skeletons are weird

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok first things first, I lost this chapter the first time i wrote it so its not as long but HEY HEY HEY HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE THIS!!!

The rest of your Saturday was definitely spent thinking about your new friend. You'd never gotten to interact with monsters much before, so actually having one socialize with you was all too new to comprehend. He was freakishly tall, meek and quiet. He obviously preferred not to talk if his little notebook was anything to go by. Honestly, having only known him by his name, he seemed skittish. While you laid on your sofa tiredly, your phone chimed, vibrating on the coffee table across from you. 

**ONE NEW MESSAGE FROM UNKNOWN**

Must be Papyrus. You went to the new message and read over it hastily.

**unknown: hey its papyrus btw just wanted to ask if you had any place in mind to go**

Even when texting he sounded distant. Like he was always zoning out all the time. 

**you: Nope! I'd rather you pick somewhere you're familiar with so it's not as daunting.**

**unknown: alright**

_**[UNKNOWN CONTACT HAS BEEN CHANGED TO Coffee Bones]** _

You slapped a hand to your face, completely forgetting that your phone notified the other person when you changed their contact name. You hoped to god that he didn't find that offensive in any way. You phone pinged again. 

**Coffee Bones: heh. thats a new one.**

You sighed and chuckled at the message.

**Coffee Bones: i put you down as apple fizz**

**you: Why? Is it because of my apple juice drinking?**

**Coffee Bones: pretty much**

**you: Maybe I was just craving apple juice?**

**Coffee Bones: you got it twice since ive seen you. once last night and once today**

**you: Wow you sound like you think I go there every day**

**Coffee Bones: i would assume you do**

You snickered to yourself at his keen observation, shrugging as you laid back onto the couch. 

**you: You would be correct**

**Coffee Bones: wow one of my assumptions is right for once? thats new**

**you: Do you assume stuff often?**

**Coffee Bones: would that be a bad thing if i did?**

You shrugged to yourself.

**you: Depends on the context.**

**Coffee Bones: right**

**Coffee Bones: well i have a place in mind for tomorrow**

**Coffee Bones: we can go get food**

**you: Sounds good to me!**

A few minutes passed with no reply, so you set your phone down and stretched along the couch. You looked at the digital clock sitting in the middle of the coffee table and yawned, running a hand through your hair. It'd been so long since you had people to talk to, let alone hang out with. Your phone chimed again.

**Coffee Bones: my bro wants me to get to bed**

**Coffee Bones: see you tomorrow**

**you: Sleep well, I'll see ya soon!**

You flopped down again, setting your phone on your chest while you looked up into the ceiling. New friends would be really nice to have honestly. Ever since Jesse moved away, you hadn't socialized as much. Speaking of Jesse... You grabbed your phone and smiled as you dialed her. For a few seconds it was quiet, then you heard her. "(Y/N)! My bestest friend in the damn world! How are you!" You chuckled. 

"I'm doing good Jesse. How is Europe treating you?" She sighed and burst into speaking again. "Did you know they have like no street lights over here!? Everyone just flows into traffic so gracefully and its so confusing but holy hell if it isn't satisfying to watch." After another hour of ranting from your friend, she told you she had to turn in for the night. You told her to sleep well and you went off to bed yourself, thinking of exactly how your day tomorrow would go. 

When you finally rolled out of bed at 1 o clock, you rushed to your closet and found something you could throw on. A button up white shirt with black jeans and white flats would work fine. Suspenders were always a nice add-on and no one could tell you otherwise. You showered and quickly got dressed, tying your hair back into a loose clip. You looked at your little satchel and snagged it off the door and put it on your shoulder. 

You were about to leave before you stopped at the door and ran back to your room. In the back of your closet, you found the small cardboard box you thought of and sifted through the array of notebooks, looking for an empty one. You finally managed to get one and smiled at it. An all-white notebook with black cat paws on the cover and an orange bow on the front. Two pens came with the books. A black one and a goldish orange one. Finally, you darted out of the door, eager to meet your skeleton friend. 

As you walked to the park, you thought on how he would like the book. You managed to get to the park just in time for monsters and humans to be mingling there. A few benches into the park and you spotted your lanky friend, hunched over his notebook and doodling furiously. He spotted you rather quickly and met you halfway, already having written something down for you. 

_its nice to see you again. i hope youre doing ok_

You nodded at him. "Yeah! It's nice to see you too." You beamed at him, watching as he wrote something else down. While he did that, you finally took in his attire. He had on a coffee brown hoodie with orange drawstrings, cream lines running down each sleeve. The same cream coloring was what made up the lettering which said "Fun Guy" in bold font. His sweatpants were bright orange like his gloves and had the same coffee brown color stripe on each leg. To top it off, he had on a mud red sneakers with red shoestrings and white accents. He handed you the notepad. 

_whats the book for?_

You looked under your arm and sure enough, the notebook you had was there. You quickly handed it to him and smiled. "For you! Just in case your little notepad runs out." You smiled at him again. He took the book gingerly and held it to his chest, a bit of a smile gracing his skull. He wrote something in his little notebook after putting your gift in his hoodie pocket. 

_thank you. ill definitely use it. lets go though, theres a monster buffet not far from here_

You both managed to get out before the traffic of people overwhelmed you both. You looked around at the scenery as you passed into the more monster populated side of the city, delighted to see that more and more color was flourishing around you. The buildings were lined with large signs and eye-catching colors, monsters of different sizes all mingling together. A few weird glances were thrown your way, but Papyrus was quick to catch your attention instead. 

_so what do you do for fun?_

You looked up at him and smiled. "Well, in my free time I bake a lot. I like to take walks at night which I think you could have assumed by now." He chuckled at the reference. "There's also this festival at the end of every month. This month's got canceled but next month for sure is gonna be good." He looked at you curiously. "Have you never heard of the festival..?" He shook his head. 

You gasped and clapped your hands together. "Its this big festival at the end of every month that's filled with food and people and games! At the end of the festival, we all shoot off fireworks and pick a new theme for the next festival." He looked at you with what you could only assume was wonder. He scribbled something down quickly. 

_where does it usually happen?_

"Central Park!" You mused happily. He nodded and you suddenly had an idea. "Maybe, we could go at the end of next month? You could bring your brother." He perked up and wrote something else.

_ill definitely ask him_

You giggled and pat his arm meekly. He wrote something else down for you.

_i like to read and draw sometimes but i think **you** could have assumed that_

He underlined you in that sentence which got you giggling. You both finally rounded the corner to meet the front of a building. 

_**M U F F E T ' S** _

Like Little Miss Muffet? You shrugged it off as Papyrus pulled the door open for you and let you walk in. You looked around at the pleasant colors, then to the hardwood floor. At the reception desk was... A purple skinned girl with six arms, all rapidly working at whatever was sitting on the podium. She spotted Papyrus then looked to you, her bright yellow glasses making her eyes hard to see. 

She was wearing a red shirt that dipped and hugged her shoulders, black shorts, and yellow striped black thigh socks. She cleared her throat then spoke, turning to look at Papyrus again. "Nice to see you again friend. Your brother told me of the little accident you had and I really am glad to see that you're ok. So it really baffles me why you brought one of _them_ into my establishment." 

She hissed in your direction, leaning over the podium to point at you accusingly. You cowered behind Papyrus, already thinking of how to leave. He cleared his throat and mumbled to the girl. "muffet...this is the human that saved me.." She eased up and slumped back into her seat, still looking at you curiously. "Hmm... well then I take back my statement. Thank you for helping my friend dear." 

You nodded and slid back into view, Papyrus putting a gentle hand on your shoulder. He paid and you both crossed into the dining area, admiring the setup. There were tables off to your left and booths splayed out further in the back. He snagged one of the booths in the back and set the "taken" sign on it, guiding you back to the front. He tugged you to the right where the food bars were, Papyrus grabbing a plate and twirling it, rather impressively, in his hands. He looked down at you and grabbed a second plate. "have you ever had monster food..?" 

You shook your head, and he quickly pointed to the table you both took. "you can go sit for now...any preference." You thought on it for a few seconds. "Anything pasta and..Chinese food related?" He nodded and let you go sit, to which you gracefully slid into your booth. There was another booth behind you, a slew of monsters sitting and mingling.

Just to your left, a giant wing jutted out from behind you and over your seat, making you jump and slide down. A red bird monster peeked around the booth from behind you, a cheeky grin on his...beak? Face? You waved, albeit hesitantly before he burst into speaking. "Oh heya! Didn't know Muffet let humans in here! Haha!" You shuddered at his implication. "I-I'm uh..actually here with a friend." He perked up.

"Oh Papyrus right! Big Boss' brother right!" You froze and locked up, looking at him with wide eyes. Big Boss? He chuckled at your inner turmoil. "Oh, you haven't heard! Big Boss hates human! Let alone, likes em around his brother." You feigned ignorance. "R-Really?" He slapped his knee dramatically. "OH HELL YEAH! Big Boss hates em. You must be a special case which is like, a one in a million chance." 

You suddenly didn't feel very safe. He leaned in closer and the feathers on the ridge of where his beak melded into his face flared up. _**"Boss would skin you alive if you were here with his brother without his knowledge."**_ Your heart dropped in your chest, your stomach churning at the thought. The bird pat your shoulder harshly, sending you lurching forward a bit. "NO WORRIES IF HE KNOWS THOUGH RIGHT?" He slid back into his booth just as Papyrus came back.

Damn him as his keen senses because he immediately noticed how pale you were. He wrote something in his notebook as he set down the 3 plates he had, along with the cup of steaming something that was balanced elegantly on his forearm. 

_whats wrong?_

You shuddered and quickly wrote something down. 

_The bird at the table behind us kind of spooked me is all._

He stood abruptly and marched up to the table, slamming his hands on it. He mumbled something but not loud enough for you to hear whatever he was saying. You shuddered and slumped further into your seat as he came back and sat back, grumbling to himself. He looked up at you and finally slid you your plate, leaning forward to grab his cup. He inhaled before he...pulled an entire can of whipped cream from his pocket. 

He literally overfilled the cup he had with it and expertly downed it, not dropping anything on himself. You clapped quietly and he...blushed? HIs cheekbones suddenly flushed with a goldish orange hue, his entire body leaning back into his seat. You looked at your plate and oohed to yourself. It was filled with 2 different things. One-half pasta, the other half with what looked like 2 eggrolls and..maybe dumplings? They were nearly black in color, but one of them was split and oozing some sort of meat and vegetables.

Papyrus' plate was piled with sandwiches. He picked up one that had some sort of meat in it. The meat was cut into slices like any other deli meat, except it was firey red, nearly glowing under the toasted bread of the sandwich. The cheese was slightly melted and the lettuce was frilled in a way that made it look like ruffles on a dress. The coloration of it was deep green, almost like tufts of pine needles. He bit into the sandwich and somehow, swallowed. For a few seconds, he looked at you curiously, then his jaw opened with an audible click.

Over his chin poured out a literal stream of FIRE. You were about to panic before he held up a hand, the fire rolling off and onto his sweater in wispy red lashes of heat. It disappeared into small clouds of red smoke, leaving a slight twinkle behind. You clapped again and smiled when his cheekbones flushed that same orange hue from before. You finally looked at your plate and grabbed your fork. 

The pasta looked like chicken alfredo, but when you went to try it, along with a cube of meat that was pale beige, it was way different. The sauce was tangy and tasted faintly of creamy alfredo with a hint of cheese you couldn't identify. The cube of meat basically melted on your tongue, leaving the faint taste of chicken and tuna in your mouth. The vegetables you picked up with it, faintly tasting like if broccoli and snap peas had a hybrid, melted away too. 

You polished off the pasta and moved on to the dumplings first. You looked at the meat that had spilled out and stabbed it with your fork before eating it. It tasted like beef but also sausage? Odd enough. You finally grabbed it and bit into it. The same broccoli like veggie and something like potato and teriyaki was what you tasted. The bread bun of it was slightly sweet but spicy. You ate them both and finally got on to the eggrolls.

Surprisingly. It was just a normal springroll. Papyrus saw your confusion and giggled. "only thing we couldnt find a clever replacement for. eggrolls are fucking amazing." You snickered and polished those off too, watching as Papyrus finished off his other 3 sandwiches rather quickly. He finally slid the desert plate over to you and let you chose from the pile of sweets. There was a chocolate donut with a golden glaze, a wacky looking cupcake and then some sort of pudding in a small bowl. 

You took the donut, giggling when Papyrus muttered something under his breath along the lines of "the only good one" and ate the pudding. After your sweets, Muffet came over to your table, leaning on it and laughing something akin to "afufufufu". She looked to your friend then back to you. "So how did you like the food?" You smiled and nodded at her. "It was really good, I'd definitely come aga..in.." You paused.

"I-If I'm welcome to." She laughed again and cupped a hand over her mouth. "Oh of course. Any friend of the Big Boss' brother is a friend of mine." You were really starting to dread that phrase. You and Papyrus up and left quickly, stepping outside just as a soft breeze rippled through the streets. Papyrus wrote something down in his booklet to show you. 

_did you enjoy the donut?_

You nodded. "Yeah, I did. It tasted something like cheesecake?" Papyrus tilted his head curiously at you before scribbling something down again. 

_whats cheesecake?_

You gasped and looked up at him. "You're telling me you've never had cheesecake?" He shook his head again. "Oh man, I have to get you to try it sometime then!" He perked up at your proposal of food. "How about.. next weekend? I can bake some for you and we can share." He nodded again, giving you a thumbs up. His phone rung abruptly and he yanked it from his pocket. He answered and you could hear faint shouting and mumbling before he hung up. 

_my bro wants me home. ill see you next weekend then._

He bolted off before you could say much else. If you were being crazy, you could have sworn you saw his sweater with the text "Happy Dude" on the front. You made it home, enjoying your late night walk after mingling about the park to waste time, and headed to bed, thinking of how you'd spend your next weekend. This new friend of yours was definitely welcome. 

When Papyrus got home and slumped against his bed, he thought of you. You were definitely something to him. For one, you saved him...Not that he was complaining if he got killed that day. But when you helped him, you sparked something in him that made him want to get to know you better. You were sweet and gentle, say for the one time he heard you curse, but it wasn't like he hadn't done his fair share of swearing.

Or heard it from his brother.

He opened up the book you gave him and quickly sketched your face from memory, smiling down at the page. You wanted to be his friend. _And_ hang out again. He wondered what you thought of him and how you saw him. He definitely had a new hangout spot. He knew you went to that vending machine often so maybe he'd get to see you there more. The corner store owners greeted him nicely as well, so he had something to look forward to.

He stared at the front cover of the book you gifted him and quickly flipped it open again, writing down something. The things you liked, what you sounded like when you laughed and more. You were pretty for a human too. But your soul was brighter than anything he'd ever seen. That beautiful lime green that flooded his vision if he stared too long or looked too deep into you when you weren't paying attention. 

Yeah. He definitely liked you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have a tumblr too. gonna post there. hell yeah even though the site is being dumb  
> https://moramulti.tumblr.com/


	3. I forgot what I came here for!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a gap between updates! Life sucks but I'm gonna update all my damn fanfics this week including the really old ones! I have a server come join please ily guys
> 
> https://discord.gg/fYvUk5Q
> 
> and my tumblr <33
> 
> https://moramulti.tumblr.com/

Ugh.

Monday.

Meaning you need to get ready for work. You dragged your limp body out of bed and grumbled to yourself, trying to blink the sleep from your eyes. While you looked around your groggy apartment, you checked the time. Since you worked late shifts, it wasn't so bad, but you still hated the after sleep fogginess that lingered over you. 

As you meandered around your place, you thought of how your next weekend would go with your new friend. He obviously had a bit of social anxiety since he never spoke, and he always seemed tense. Or rather in thought. Would you invite him over next week, or take him out... You immediately ditched the idea of inviting him over, solely due to how every monster on the east side of town constantly hinted that your new friend's brother absolutely hated humans. 

You didn't wanna lose your head over cheesecake. 

Once you were dressed, you made your way out the door swiftly, looking around at the array of people who were mingling in the late afternoon. You stopped by your favorite vending machine and got your can of apple juice, and an extra for your shift. You were reminded of your new friend again. A meek smile graced your lips at the thought of him.

Once you walked through the sliding doors at work, you were immediately assaulted by Jim, your co-worker, who was quick to mouth off about an incident that had happened. "My God! (Y/N)! Did you hear about the people who attacked the monster on this side of town?" 

You raised a brow as he pushed you towards the employees' room. "When did it happen?" He scrunched his nose up at you. "On Saturday!" You froze up and whistled, opting for going silent. He mouthed off a bit more before leaving you to do your job. You poured your first apple juice into your resealable cup and tucked it into the belt around your hip, doing a quick stretch routine before you grabbed one of the carts with an already loaded palette.

Stocking was easy enough, so you quickly wheeled out of the backroom, swerving around monster and human customers alike. You saw a few humans cast glares at the opposing race but other than just a glare, nothing caught your eye too much. Maybe today wouldn't be a bad Monday huh? You wheeled through the aisles, rearranging the misplaced items and stocking up the ones that were getting low.

You were about to turn to the next aisle when you spotted a familiar sweater pass by to your left. It seems they also noticed you because they stopped and made direct eye contact- or socket to eye contact with you. 

Papyrus!

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ugh.

Monday.

Meaning everyone is at work. Papyrus groggily slid out of bed and looked around the room, then to his phone that lay on the bedpost by his mattress. It was still early in the morning, so there was no way in hell he'd be doing anything just yet. He made his way off the floor and looked at his wardrobe. Long sleeve red shirt and grey sweats. Would this be acceptable for today? Probably. 

He looked around and located the book you gave him, flipping back to the page he doodled your face on. It gave him a good warm feeling to look at his work. He set the book down and waddled out of his room, looking around the empty apartment he and his brother shared. He saw the familiar yellow notepad paper taped to the fridge, bright and jarring enough to get his attention.

He yanked it down and scanned over it, looking intently at the messy handwriting his brother expected him to read. It irked him how messy his brother's handwriting was. Most people didn't care but, to him, someone who looks at notebooks like 60% of the time, it was concerning. 

(Y/N) has pretty handwriting, he thought tenderly. Another geeky smile graced his bony face before he finally comprehended what his brother had written.

 _**I would very much appreciate if you went shopping to get some more vegetables and meats. I listed what kinds below. There's a grocery store not far from here and it's in safe territory so go there. Sincerely,  
** _ _**Sans** _

So formal. Geez. Such a regal message ought to have similarly regal scripture. He brushed it off and looked at the meats listed, along with the vegetables. He noticed that a little envelope was also taped to the note. Money must be in it. He grabbed the envelope and sighed, leaning on the fridge tiredly before he reached into the freezer and pulled out toaster waffles.

Yeah. Today was gonna be tedious and unnecessary. 

Late into the afternoon, he finally slid off his bed again, making his way to the front door. He snagged his sweater off the couch and slid it on, stretching, his knuckles had scraped against the ceiling in the process. He grumbled and grabbed his gloves, sliding them on, then grabbing his notepad and the note with the money his brother left. Shopping trip is a go.

As he meekly tumbled through the streets, he stopped by a vending machine that was closer to his house. He couldn't stop by the one his new friend went to, since it would mean having to go past the store, then come back. Too much work for now. Maybe she would be there later? His chest tightened at the thought, his mind wandering elsewhere to dispell those dumb thoughts.

When he made it into the store, he got a few odd looks, but was greeted by a few of the monsters that knew him. Most of them had robotic enhacements, but, it didn't bother him much. A snowdrake with a half cybernetic face greeted him cheerfully, with a highfive, and then a Froggit. He curved into the canned food aisle for a brief moment to grab some tuna for himself.

Out of the corner of his eye, a ray of green made him swivel his attention. He stopped.

Stepped back. 

(Y/N)! 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You waltzed up to your new friend and greeted him with a wave. He seemed happy to see you too judging by the slight curve of his "lips" at the corners of his mouth. He fumbled around in his pocket for a moment and went to write something in his notepad when an envelope fell from his pocket. Just as he went to grab it from the floor, someone's boot slammed down onto it.

You looked up, shocked to see a burly man standing on the envelope. It was one of the men you pepper sprayed in the alley. You could see the faint pigmentation difference just across the bridge of his nose where the spray would have burned him. It was still healing apparently. You tensed up and quickly stood up straight, puffing out your chest to try and look authoritative. 

"Sir, that's clearly his. Step away from the envelope and give it back." He quickly snapped his attention to you. He glared evilly at you before he opened his mouth to speak. "You grimy bitch. You have no say in this. Trying to protect this fucking filth!" You scoffed and stepped forward, Papyrus cowering back to stand closer to you. "Give it back or I'll have to ask you to leave." 

He let out a howling laugh with that, slapping his knee dramatically. He glared at you again before he bent down and grabbed the envelope from under his boot. "I'll leave with this. Cause it's mine now." You swiped it from him while he was boasting and spun to hand it to Papyrus. He looked like he was... angry? But scared angry. Tears were pricking the corners of his sockets, but he looked extremely pissed off at the same time. 

The man grabbed you by the back of your shirt and threw you to the poorly tiled floors, knocking the wind out of you. You coughed and held your sides protectively, curling up on the floor. Papyrus gasped and quickly came to your side, helping you stand again. The man was still standing there, looking menacing as ever. You managed to regain your composure long enough to puff out your chest again. 

"Sir." You spoke in the harshest tone you could muster. "Leave. Now. You're not allowed to come back either." He chuckled at your weak attempt to deter him, but something about the air changed in that brief moment. Papyrus stood up fully and put a hand on your shoulder delicately. He tugged you back just a bit, so your shoulder bumped into his midsection. He held up his notebook to the man, but you couldn't see what was written.

All you do know, is you saw the man's face pale, looking up at Papyrus, then back to you. You watched, confused as the man bolted out of the aisle and past a few people, before shrieking out of the front doors. What spooked him that bad? Papyrus quickly turned to you and looked at you worriedly, brushing hair out of your face. He wrote something down for you.

_are you ok? im sorry he did that. i didnt know he would_

You waved him off and pat his shoulder since he was crouching to meet your gaze. "No worries Papyrus. I'm ok. You ok though? You looked a bit scared at first." He nodded.

_i just dont like confrontation. especially public stuff. it makes me uneasy._

You hummed in thought, keeping that in mind for if you did decide to take him out. But...you were worried about something else. "You should head home and call your brother ok? I want you to get home safe. Especially if that guy is back and waiting for you outside. Ok?" He seemed to tense up, then shrink before nodding timidly. You gave him a gentle pat on his shoulder before he stood and took out his phone, and while he left the aisle, dialed what you could only assume was his brother. 

You looked back at your current palette and the cart, stretching one more time before you got back to work.

Once you finished locking up, you made your way home, tiredly of course. Today wasn't as easy as you thought, and you reported the short dispute to your boss. He looked at the recordings and verified what happened, being sure to ban that man from the store. As you made your way to your favorite vending machine, you noticed another figure lingering in front of it.

He looked vaguely familiar... That was until you finally got up close to him. He had pale, eerily white skin...or lack thereof. His sockets were pitch black, except for his right one which was filled with a glowing red, star-shaped pupil. He has 2 long claw-like scars going through the bone of his face, and a sneer across his features. He bent down to grab what he had got before abruptly turning to you. 

"You. Wench." You were taken aback by his forwardness. Under his sockets were dashes of red, making them stand out on his pure white face. He stepped up to you, emphasizing that he was obviously taller, even if by a little. He glared at you, the red light in his socket casting a menacing glow across his face. 

"You're the one who's been around my brother yes?" You swallowed hard. So this was Big Boss. Just your luck. He grabbed you by your wrist and yanked you forward, his skull hitting your face hard. You yelped and quickly cupped your face in your hands, feeling the bridge of your nose to make sure it wasn't broken. He sucked in sharply through his teeth, growling.

"Pathetic. Stay away from my bloodline human. I won't be so kind next time. And that was just a warning." You shuddered and held your now bleeding nose, slouching back against the brick wall of the building next to you. He walked off swiftly after that, and in his hand, you thought you'd seen a can of apple juice? You really could go for some of that right now. 

You quickly secured your nose with tissues in your satchel and made your way to the vending machine, brushing off the ordeal. You'd deal with that later. When you looked at the selection though...there was no more apple juice. But it was full today? And it never runs out!

Then it hit you.

_**That cheeky fucker.** _

Papyrus sat in bed, munching on another toaster waffle when his room door abruptly swung open. His brother stood in the doorway, apple juice can in hand, glaring at him. "You. Who have you been going out with these past few days?" He tensed, slouching forward. "no one..." 

His brother tossed the can into the small overflowing bin by his desk and pinched the space between his sockets. He then directed his gaze back at his brother. "Do not. Lie to me." Papyrus tensed again, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. "d-do i have to be specific..?" His brother raised the arch above his socket before settling on an answer. "Alright. No, you don't have to be." He sagged in relief.

"well...shes really sweet and...kind of soft spoken...really bright.." He rubbed timidly at his neck at the thought of you. He really needed to do something for you, now that you'd saved his ass twice. His brother hummed. "Very well. It better not be a human though. You know how those things are." Papyrus nodded absentmindedly, looking down at the notebook he was doodling in.

It was all doodles of you. In your work clothes, looking concentrated. His brother's words made him scowl at the page, looking away before he shut the book angrily. He could be friends with whoever the hell he pleased. 

And he would be with you. No one would stop him for that. 

Right before he was about to drift off to sleep, he remembered. _**The groceries.**_

_**And just like clockwork;** _

"PAPYRUUUUUS!" 

Damn it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is a tad shorter :''00 ill get back to the long bois in a bity


	4. Family is hard to deal with

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WOW I TOOK WAY TOO LONG ON THIS BUT HELLO!!! I PROMISE TO UPDATE THIS WEEKLY OR TRY TO!!!

The end of the week came quicker than you'd imagine. Your week, including Monday, had been a weird tidal wave of events and odd happenings between you and your new monster friend. After work on Monday, you got a threat from the one everyone knew as "Big Boss" and it wasn't a pleasant one. A purple bruise across the ridge of your nose certainly got your coworkers attention. 

"Oh my god! (Y/N) what the fuck happened?" You brushed him off and got about to work with a lame excuse. "Tripped and hit my face on my desk when I got home.." He guffawed then laughed before giving you a hefty pat on the back. "God I should have known." You sighed and left him to get back to his own duties while you got to stocking the shelves and putting items in their respective place. 

Wednesday went similarly, stocking shelves as per usual and getting work done. Although on the walk home, since your boss let you leave your shift early, you caught your skeleton friend sitting on the bench, doodling idly in the notebook you got for him. You had messaged him last night and asked him if he was ok, pertaining to the incident on Monday, and he said he was fine. 

He spotted you rather quickly and waved you over, one of his hoodie strings dangling from between his teeth. You got your apple juice and sat next to him on the bench, letting him greet you. 

_its nice to see you today (y/n)._

You nodded at him. "Nice to see you too Papyrus. You must really like this spot as much as me now huh?" He tensed up at that, directing his eye contact back to his notebook. He scribbled something down hastily before showing you. 

_this is the only machine that sells chocolate cat bread and coffee so its better to come here.._

You nodded at him and opened your juice, taking a sip. You sighed and leaned back in your seat, thinking on what Big Boss had told you on Monday. Was he watching you both? You shuddered at the thought and decided to ask Papyrus about it. "Hey Papyrus..?" He turned to look at you, but this time he looked shocked. He grabbed your face in both of his massive hands and turned your head to crane up and look at him.

You raised a brow questioningly. He used his voice this time rather than his book. "d-did...did someone hit you?" You gasped. You completely forgot about the bruise on your face. It had faded a bit, but it still stuck out like a sore thumb. You leaned back and sighed, rubbing the bridge of your nose. "Yeah..aha. I'm ok though!" He whined at your passive nature, still holding onto one of your cheeks.

His touch felt..welcoming. Oddly enough. You were never really physical with people unless you knew them like the back of your hand, but he was only concerned about you, right? He spoke again, his raspy little voice echoing in your head. "d-did..my brother..do this?" You locked up and touched your nose again, your shoulders raised softly in a way to shrug.

He grumbled loudly and stood, grabbing his snacks and coffee he gave you a rather quick hug and left. You watched him walk away angrily, which looked a little silly... considering his legs were spindly and long. You got up and went home rather quickly, deciding on the fact that you didn't want to meet Big Boss again tonight. 

Papyrus got home and slammed the door shut with too much force. It nearly broke off of its hinges. His brother was sitting peacefully at the dining room table, sipping on a cup of cider before setting it down all too slow. Papyrus glared at him, fists clenched and growling at his nonchalant brother. "Something wrong Papyrus?" He nearly blew his lid there, but he managed to keep himself at bay. 

"y-you hurt..m-my friend.." He growled out, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't go screaming. Sans merely scoffed and stood from the table. "Your friend? You mean the human?" He growled and whined looking at his brother angrily. Sans just hummed thoughtfully. "y-you hurt her...dont..dont touch her anymore.." Papyrus was getting more and more anxious the longer he stood there eyeing his brother.

Sans raised the arch above his brow. "Or what? She's a dirty human. Who cares?" Papyrus slouched just a bit, his sockets glowing with a burnt orange hue. His breathing was getting erratic and shallow. "dont..dont hurt her..dont..no leave her alone shes my friend..y-youre..youre not allowed to touch her!" He shouted the last bit of his sentence, huffing and finally...crying. 

The tears spilled down his cheeks, staining his sweater while he cried. He hiccuped, choking up continuously while he stood there, legs shaking and buckling while he sobbed. "dont! you cant touch her! d-dont hurt her...dont...s-shes MY friend!" He yelled again, stomping his foot on the last word he spoke, huffing and crying harder than before. Sans watched, the only working light in his socket was gone. 

Seeing his brother cry was something he never wanted to see, but in this case...it might have been necessary. Papyrus stormed up to his brother, looming over him, still sniffling and crying. He spoke one last time, his voice obviously strained from the screaming. "s-shes...my..friend. i-i dont...want you..near her." He huffed and stormed past his brother, going into his room and slamming the door harshly. 

Sans stood there for a moment longer, sighing heavily to keep his composure. He loved his brother but...sometimes he was a hassle. 

Thursday went normally, without seeing Papyrus sadly. You had messaged him when you got home the prior day, but he never responded. Maybe that meant he went with his brother's advice...You went home that night feeling a bit hopeless...something you hadn't felt in a while. 

Friday rolled around and you woke up to a few messages from your skeleton friend. Or...maybe friend. 

**Coffee Bones: sorry i didnt reply yesterday**

**Coffee Bones: or before**

**Coffee Bones: my brother made me upset is all**

**Coffee Bones: im ok though**

**Coffee Bones: i got you a gift**

**Coffee Bones: i hope i didnt make you upset**

You sighed and quickly replied to him, thankful that you didn't lose your new friend.

**you: Its ok Papy, take your time. We can reschedule the hangout if you need to**

**Coffee Bones: no its ok i meant to ask where were going for the hangout tomorrow anyway**

In the back of your mind, you wanted to invite him over, but at the same time, you didn't want to be on his brother's hit list. Your phone chimed just as that thought ended.

**Coffee Bones: you can come over since my brother wont be home**

You shuddered at the thought of that, but...you agreed anyway.

**you: Sure! sounds good to me, you can meet me at the vending machine so we can go together.**

**Coffee Bones: alright see you tomorrow**

You sighed and set your phone down. What had you just gotten yourself into? 

Work went well and you made your way home, but. There he was at the vending machine again. He didn't see you this time, but you did see him get a can of apple juice and waltz off into the dark, whistling while he went about his way. You opted for taking the long way home that night. Saturday rolled in and you sat up in bed, looking at your phone idly. One message from Coffee Bones.

**Coffee Bones: we can meet at 2:30**

You nodded at the message and saw that it was 1:06, which got you jumping out of bed to get ready. Jeans and a tank top with one of your favorite hoodies seemed fine, so you showered and got dressed, along with grabbing your bag to put all the ingredients for the cheesecake in. You bustled out of the door and got to the park a bit early, and thankfully, Papyrus was there waiting on one of the benches. 

He looked up to your direction and stood, walking over and waving sheepishly at you. He quickly took out his notepad and scribbled something down.

_i like your hoodie_

You looked at it, giggling at the stupid pun on it. "How've you bean?" with a picture of coffee under the bold white lettering. He chuckled when you did and ushered you along down the street to what you assumed was his house. He didn't talk much during the walk, but he did inquire about the festival.

_when does it happen next month?_

You hummed in thought and smiled. "At the end of every month, so we can use the entire month preparing for it!" He nodded and scribbled something else down.

_your nose looks better. the bruising is almost gone_

You nodded and felt at your nose out of reflex, sighing at his observation. He pulled your hand away and felt at the bridge of your nose, stopping you both in your tracks. You gasped at the sudden gush of warmth his hand held, and it made you chuckle at the tingly sensation it gave off. He pulled back and looked at you curiously before a very faint grin graced his features.

He kept walking with you from there, leaving you puzzled as to what exactly he did. When you finally got to his neighborhood, you were a bit surprised to see that he lived in one of the more nurtured buildings. An expensive apartment complex that had such pristine and clean looking balconies and windows you could have sworn it passed off as a penthouse. 

Papyrus simply guided you to the front doors, a meek grin on his face while he pulled his keycard from his pocket and opened the door. You stepped inside ahead of him, his hands coming up to grip your shoulders as he ushered you to the elevator. He mumbled something quietly to you. "my brother.. is at work.. so we have a few hours.." 

You nodded at him, giving one of his hands a gentle pat while you both got into the elevator. They lived on the 8th floor which was way too high up for you. But hey. To each their own right? Once you both got off on his floor, he quickly grabbed your wrist and slipped something onto your arm. In the 6 seconds it took him to, he pulled away, cheekbones flushed that adorable orange hue while you inspected the item.

It was a charm bracelet. A very cute, apple themed charm bracelet. All the pendants were full and painted beautifully. Most of the pendants were different colored apples. Red, green, gold, etc. Then there was the small juice box like charm pieces and few small leaves. You chuckled and looked up at him, seeing he had pulled his hood over his face. "Papyrus. Did you make this?" 

A small nod came from him. You beamed at him, tapping his forearm softly to get his attention. "It's really cute! I love it. I'll wear it all the time to express my undying love for apple juice." He gave a soft "heh" before turning on his heel and bringing you down the hall. He fumbled with his keys to the door and quickly opened it, spreading his arms out in the gesture of "welcome home". 

"Oh. Wow. This place looks really nice.." You walked in and quietly inspected the pictures on the small walkway by the front door. You saw 'Big Boss' and Papyrus in all the pictures along with a few other monsters you didn't really know who they were. Somewhere along the line, you saw...

A very very tiny Papyrus. He was so small! And 'Big Boss' wasn't very big either, holding the little skele in his arms as best he could. 

Your heart ached at the sight, making you "awww" out loud at it. Papyrus seemed to catch on quick and snagged the photo off the wall, his face glowing bright orange. He fumbled for words before he ran down the hall opposite the dining room and tossed the photo into what you assumed was his room. When he came back, his sweater clearly read the phrase "shy guy" which only made you giggle in response.

He eyed you curiously before he caught on and very furiously tugged his sweater off, throwing it over the couch haphazardly. He was wearing a short sleeve white shirt with a little dog in the middle that had a cute caption under him. "I got a bone to pick with you." You said aloud, pointing to his shirt. He blushed harder and..actually squeaked. "c-can we..m-make the cake now.." 

You nodded happily and walked over to the kitchen, tugging your bag off, you set everything on the counter happily in front of you. Papyrus shuffled meekly on his feet behind you, peering over your shoulder curiously. You gently grabbed his forearm and helped him step over to your side. 

"Ok, I want you to help out just in case you wanna make this yourself! If you like it anyway." He nodded at your words before you held out the box of graham crackers you bought. "Take all of these and crush them!" His sockets closed shut a few times, probably just blinking before he grabbed the box and tugged out each pack of crackers. He grabbed a few bowls for you both to use and poured all the crackers into the biggest bowl he had.

He looked around on the counters before he held open his hand and...summoned a small bone? It was shaped like a femur, and he used the knobby end to gently grind the crackers into the right consistency. You watched him for a moment before he cleared his "throat" pointing to your bowl full of cream cheese blocks you hadn't started mixing yet. 

His cheeks were dusted a soft orange again when he looked at you, but he looked down too quick for you to speak. You directed your attention to your own task and got to work.

"Ok so now you add the eggs and a very very small teaspoon of vanilla!" He was very shakily holding up an egg, squinting hard at it as he broke it and let it all fall into the bowl of graham cracker mush. He added the other egg and then the vanilla, stirring it rather giddily in fact. "it..smells really nice already.." He looked at you with as much enthusiasm as his boney face could muster while you pulled out very very small tin pans to put the crust in. 

Papyrus watched you as you poured the filling in, a happy grin on your face. You turned and held up the platter of mini cakes, about 8 in total, before putting them in the oven. Papy just watched in anticipation, not just because he'd be trying something new, but also for when you turned around so he could see how happy you were. You had a very pretty smile to him.

When you turned, you held out the bowl of filling, along with a small teaspoon filled with some of it. "Try it?" Papy flushed. He'd never had someone besides his family do anything like this. But..he accepted anyway. It was sweet but good. Almost as good as Muffet's donuts. "its...good. i like it." 

Your soul flashed a vibrant green at his compliment, making him flush a deeper shade of orange, nearly glowing again. You both waddled to the living room, sitting on the couch tiredly. "We can decorate them after!" He looked over curiously. "decorate?" You perked up, your eyes twinkling at the sudden proposition. You really were cute. "We can put different toppings on them! Chocolate, fruits, anything!" 

Papy watched you rant happily, giggling and waving your hands eagerly at every new item you named. After chilling the cakes it was finally time to try them. You let him try his first and to your delight, he liked it. A lot. Maybe it was because he made it with you. Or just that you were here when he got to try them. That beautiful shade of green that lit up next to him...

And then dimmed significantly when the front door lock clicked, and the sound of the door opening echoed in the apartment. 


	5. Can you keep a secret?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this is so incredibly late and its taking me so long to do stuff. I've been mostly active on Twitter! And I finally started my new Undertale comic so that's also a factor!!! I'm finally writing a bunch of stuff down so that I'm more organized and push myself to work!! So no more delays! Every Tuesday this updates >:33 and I promise I'll stick to that! 
> 
> https://twitter.com/lee_yukayla

In a split second, you were pulled from your seat and flush against Papyrus' chest, and in a flash. There was nothing. You felt extremely cold and then just like that, you were back in reality again. Only in a bedroom. Who's bedroom? You had no fucking idea. Papyrus loomed over you and in the 3 seconds he had you pinned to the mattress, the air in your lungs left you. 

Did he just teleport? Before you could dwell on the question, you were picked up and lowered to the floor and pushed under the bed quickly. He put a finger to his teeth in a mock attempt at shushing you before standing quickly, leaving you curled up under the bed, terrified. 

"PAPYRUS!" Big Boss screeched from the living room, his footsteps coming down the hall quickly. "yeah bro.." The footsteps stopped just outside the door and from your view under the bed, you could see a set of red boots. "Why is there a mess in the kitchen?" Papyrus shuffled on his feet a little. "i was trying to make something new for once.." A few tense seconds and silence.

"Why?" 

"because i wanna prepare for the..festival.."

"What festival?"

"theres a festival...at the end of the month.. i wanted to try baking.."

"When were you going to tell me about this?" 

"whenever you werent mad at me.."

A sharp pang of guilt hit you. Was he mad at him because of your presence? 

"I'm not mad at you Papyrus.. I'm just worried. You know that's how I am."

"alright... am i allowed to go to the festival?"

"I'll come with you. I don't want you going alone, especially if its a mostly human festival."

"thanks bro.."

"It's my job to be there for you."

You sighed quietly to yourself, fist clenched to your chest. The footsteps went further down the hall before another door was opened and shut. Quiet. Then Papyrus dropping to his knees in front of the bed, peering under at you. His face was flushed burnt orange, looking haggard and worried. "are...you ok..?" You nodded and huddled up further into yourself. 

Papyrus simply watched you, face casting a pretty golden colored glow onto the floor. Quick footsteps are what made you cower further under the bed. "Why are you under there?" Papyrus gasped and quickly shuffled around for something. He reached behind your head and pulled out the notebook you got for him. "i was looking for my notebook.." Big Boss simply hummed in approval as Papyrus got up and walked over to the door.

"Is that one of the photos from the hall?" Silence once more. "y-yes.." 

"Why'd you take it down?" 

"its embarrassing."

"Embarrassing who?" 

"its embarrassing to me.."

"You know instead of lying you could just say you had company over."

Papyrus shuffled on his feet and eyed his brother quietly. "i-i didnt have company..." His brother merely scoffed. "Hmph. Or you _had_ company and you know they aren't supposed to be here." Papyrus whined, clutching the notebook to his chest protectively. "n-no! i d-didnt have anyone over.." 

"Well, then who's bag is in the kitchen?"

Papy stopped talking for a moment. More tense silence that had you sweating from head to toe. Would you die here? A drastic conclusion but a possible one nonetheless. "m-my friends.." 

"Is that friend still here?" 

"n-no..."

"Papyrus." 

"yes brother.."

"They're under the bed aren't they?"

"no! they arent here!"

"So they left without their bag?"

"y-yeah they did!"

"Give me. 5 seconds." 

His footsteps hurriedly paced down the hall, your heart thumping in your chest. Papyrus scrambled for you and slid under the bed, hugging you to his chest. You were displaced once again, cold and breathless, then on the bench right next to the vending machine. Papy stepped back, frantically huffing and wheezing before he vanished right before your eyes. 

Not before mumbling a quick "stay here". You sat there, clutching your hands to your chest, out of breath and shaking. But...you stayed there. You sat there, quivering and guiltily twiddling your thumbs. And you waited. And waited...You stood, having sat there for 40 minutes, about to head home and tell Papyrus he could just bring you your bag tomorrow, he poofed back into existence before you, nearly toppling you over, but you managed to catch him. 

He was sobbing uncontrollably, shaking and barely able to stand before you. He threw his arms around your shoulders desperately and cried, mumbling quietly to you things you couldn't quite catch. When he was done, he handed you your bag, but there was another bag on his opposite shoulder. Immediately you caught on and grabbed his hand. "Come on...let's go."

He sniffled and wiped the glowing tears from his face. "t-thank you.." You sighed and guided him back to your tiny little apartment, no words exchanged on the way. When you both walked up the stairs and you elegantly dropped your keys before you unlocked the door, you eyed the charm bracelet. In a feeble attempt to cheer him up, you turned to him. "Papyrus?" 

He lifted his head from his notebook. "Did you wanna go to the craft store tomorrow?" It was brief, but in the few seconds you saw his face perk up, you knew it would be worth it. He nodded just as you sidestepped to let him duck down through the door frame. He paced around the small little living room for a moment before settling on the couch, his long legs buckled to be able to sit comfortably. 

You set your bag down by the door and slouched against the wall, throwing your hands up and running them down your face. "So...is pizza ok for dinner?" He looked up and nodded softly, setting his own bag down and opening it to sift through. "Bathroom is to the left, the door on the right." He stood and nodded before quickly leaving to the bathroom, clothes in hand. You grabbed your phone and dialed up the pizza service you had saved, ordering one cheese and one pineapple for yourself. 

Quiet little footsteps came down the hall just as you hung up and when you turned around, you saw Papyrus in a baggy pair of gray sweatpants and a black tank top. It was somewhat jarring to see that he was really bones under those clothes. His ribcage peeked out from behind the shirt, obviously slightly discolored from the paler white of his face. He sat back on the couch, looking down at his hands in silence.

You paced to your room slowly, changing into something similar to Papyrus. Sweatpants and a short sleeve shirt. You waddled back into the living room, looking up to see him curled up on his side on the sofa. The small armchair adjacent to the sofa was still cluttered with pillows and blankets from your previous movie marathon so you grabbed one of the blankets, tossing it over him. 

In a turn of attitude, he smirked, letting the very tiny blanket barely cover him. He threw his arms up and snuggled into the very small blanket, sockets closed and looking bashful. You snickered at him and let him curl up under the blanket, watching as he shut his sockets and coiled into himself. He must be tired. And you were just as exhausted. Your thoughts wandered to what the hell you were going to do when his brother went looking for him.

Did he know where you lived? Did he know your name? God, you hoped not. As you were trudging slowly to the kitchen, your phone buzzed in your pocket. You snagged it out in a hurry to check what notification you could possibly be getting right now. A text. From an unknown number. You tensed up and tapped on the notif, reading over the message in sheer horror.

**unknown: I suppose that my brother is with you. Keep him busy while I get ready to retrieve him from you. Don't tell him I'm coming.**

You paled, your blood feeling as if it solidified in your veins just at the thought of him coming to your house. That meant he did know where you lived. You tossed your phone onto the kitchen counter and quickly grabbed Papy's shoulder, gently shaking him to lull him out of his short nap. You leaned in, gently patting his cheek, still to no avail. Your eyes were starting to water at this point, just picturing what "Big Boss" would do. 

"P-Papyrus. Papyrus your brother, y-your brother is coming you have to get up." You managed to sputter out, which got him spurring from his nap. He looked at you, sockets wide and glowing with orange buds of tears. He pulled you from the floor and held you to his chest, petting your hair tenderly to calm you down. For a full minute. It was this. Tense silence and petting. Until he finally managed to speak. "i-i can...i can trick him. b-but you have to. hold onto me.." 

You raised a brow at him curiously, rubbing your eyes free from the blurry tears. Against your better judgment, which was starting to become a pattern, you agreed. He pulled you flush against his chest, your nerves suddenly peaking. Physical contact always made you nervous like this. While being this close, you could faintly hear a soft thumping in his chest. 

Did..did he have a heart? Your eyes focused on the spot where the pounding was loudest and most consistent, face steaming up while he held you close. Down the hall..you could hear quick footsteps. His hands clung to your shirt and in a whisper, he spoke. "hold onto me.." You clung to his shirt as tight as you could and shut your eyes, keeping as still and quiet as you could just as the knob to your front door jingled. 

Once again, that feeling of cold washed over you, breathless, then finally air. You were back in his room. He squeezed you, a soft, shrill cry coming from him. The tips of his fingers dug into the fabric of your shirt, flexing and clenching closed before releasing again. He did this repeatedly as if to distract himself from the panic of his brother trying to "retrieve him". You stayed like that for a moment, huffing quietly against his chest trying to calm down. 

Internally you questioned if this friendship was worth the trouble. Being afraid of this overbearing force that could do more damage than good? But even so far, having known Papyrus for such a short period of time...you thought you could handle it. He shook you gently in his arms to stir you from your frantic thoughts, cupping his massive hands around your cheeks and tilting your face to look at him. 

"h-he'll be coming back s-soon..." He croaked quietly. You both sat there, waiting patiently for him to come back, intertwined to comfort each other. While you both waited, you went back to thinking of his brother. Papyrus had left for the night and seemed accustomed to doing so with how quick he adjusted at your apartment. It begged the question.. was Big Boss abusive? It seemed borderline abusive. Or just extremely overprotective. 

Something you couldn't fault him for. The time ticked by slowly, eyes flickering around the dark room to focus on something to calm your nerves. But not much could really be seen. The soft moonlight pouring through the drapes only cast enough light for you to look at his bed sheets, but not much else. Papyrus ever so softly rested his cheek against your head, nuzzling cautiously into your hair. 

His hands fiddled with the sleeve of your shirt, twirling his fingers into the fabric and pulling at it. He did this for god knows how long, staring intently at the fabric before the telltale sound of footsteps made him clutch onto you and once again, you were breathless and cold. A rush of air filled your lungs from how sudden the "shortcut" was, having you reeling and desperately grabbing onto him to steady yourself. 

Big Boss wasn't anywhere to be seen. You sighed, trembling in his arms still trying to calm yourself. He hugged you tighter to his chest, a soft cry coming from him. He hiccuped a few times, sniffling and petting you tenderly before he let you go, helping you out of his lap. "i-im... im sorry.." He huffed and rubbed his eyes almost angrily, the sound of bone scraping against bone making you wonder if that hurt him. 

You stopped him and wiped the glowing tears from his face, being gentle with the places that had been tinted a dull orange. They looked like they hurt odd enough. You shuddered at the thought of him getting hurt just by rubbing his eyes. His own biology betrayed him in that aspect. Too tired and exhausted to do much else, you climbed back onto the couch with him, settling in to comfort him. "Its ok Papyrus...you didn't mean for this to happen.." 

Your eyes were fluttering open and closed now, too heavy for you to keep them open at this point. You were so...exhausted. He held you again, sniffling and gently hugging you as the soft thudding in his chest lulled you to sleep. It was comforting. Listening to the steady rhythm that was his supposed heartbeat. 

You'd have to ask him if skeletons had hearts in the morning. 


	6. Sunday Mourning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As I said! Every Tuesday folks <333\. My Twitter where I post art~!
> 
> https://twitter.com/lee_yukayla

You woke up to the sound of crying. It wasn't very loud, no. It was barely tangible... but the soft rattling of bones and the soft jolts from him indicated more than enough. You slowly raised yourself from his embrace, and since you were poised on your belly, you got a clear view of him. Bright gold-orange tears spilling down his cheekbones and staining his grey tank top. Brown, almost, milky colored pupils dancing back and forth, looking everywhere but you.

You raised a hand and gently cupped his cheek, his reaction being nothing more than a gentle jerk away from your gesture, then leaning back into it wholeheartedly. He hiccuped again, this time louder, now that he wasn't trying to hide it. Another sob. Then another. Until he was bawling loudly into your shoulder, clinging to you for dear life. While he cried into your shirt, you wondered about all the possible things that he could be upset about. 

The main thing was his brother. You knew he was the biggest issue. Secondly could be the unending stress he'd been put through in just a week. The attack only happened last Saturday. You knew it was too much, too fast. For anyone. He choked up a particularly loud sob, bringing you closer to his chest, tugging helplessly at your shirt again. His brother had restricted him from talking to you for a few days. His brother had hurt you, which obviously upset him. Papyrus didn't seem like the kind to easily bottle up emotions, with how openly he was crying to you, so all of this...

You felt guilty. This entire situation revolved around you. It revolved around you every coming into contact with him. But how could you not? He needed help that night. You helped. And he...he stuck around. It wasn't something you could just avoid. You basically saved his life. He wanted to thank you properly, so he took you out to do something you'd never done. Friendships were a flurry of understanding and emotions and this was something you hadn't had to properly deal with since you'd met Jesse. Speaking of Jesse, you'd figured you could call her today to ease your mind. 

Papyrus quieted down after a few more minutes, nothing left to cry but a quiet whimper, or a whine until he went silent again. You gently ran a hand along the back of his skull, and down the line of his vertebrae. He leaned into the touch tenderly, enjoying the gentle treatment you were giving him. He sighed and shied away, tucking his legs up to his chest in a protective manner and leaning his face on his knees. While he wasn't holding you so closely, you stood and went to your room to retrieve your laptop, intent on calling Jesse. She would probably have some good advice for you, right? She always had something wise to say to you. 

Papyrus had shut his sockets by the time you got back, so you tried to be as quiet as possible, shuffling into your spot on the couch again. You set your laptop on the coffee table and pushed it open, typing in your password and then shooting a message to Jesse. 

**You: jesse, you up?**

**Jessuwu: i am lovebug, whatcha need?**

**You: someone to vent to really, but i also wanna check up on ya**

**Jessuwu: video call?**

**You: video call. ring me,,**

The notification that someone was calling violated your screen, so you quickly hit the answer button and leaned back in your seat. Jesse was sitting in what you assumed was her room, munching on a bag of shrimp chips. "What's up lovebug? Let it all out for me." She gestured her hands outward, tossing a few chips in the process, but that did the trick well enough.

"So...I'll start from the top. I have a new friend for one!" She clapped eagerly, about to speak but you held up a hand to her. "But! They're a monster." She oohed and nodded frantically, leaning into the camera, obviously intrigued. "He's really sweet and kind...goofy. Really tall." 

"Whoa whoa (Y/N)! You're speaking so fondly of them...When do I get to meet them?" You flushed at her senseless teasing, scoffing angrily at her and pretending she didn't say anything. "Well...he's asleep right now." You looked off to your left very briefly, seeing he was still snoozing away. Jesse caught on fast, even at your quick glance. "Is..Is he over your house? He is, isn't he? Show me!" She giddily bounced in her seat, googly eyes on full.

"He's kind of shy! I don't wanna... make him uncomfy." You sighed, before a massive hand gently pat your shoulder. You were raised from the couch and set in Papyrus' lap, his head resting on yours. "i...was awake..." You flushed ever more, hyper-aware of all the things you had said about him. Jesse, meanwhile, was going apeshit. "OH MY GOD LOOK AT HIM! HE DOESN'T EVEN FIT IN THE FRAME!" You chuckled, eyes drifting to the mini window where you could see yourself and sure enough, Papy's face wasn't in frame. 

He slid down off of the couch, settling with you in his lap on the floor. His legs outstretched under the coffee table, he waved at Jesse, sockets half-lidded and tiredly dancing around so he didn't focus on her. She awwed and leaned back, giggling at you both. You huffed and finally went back to the topic at hand. "Well! As I was saying...He's kind of in a predicament." 

She switched her demeanor quickly, propping her hands up on her desk and staring into the camera. "Lay it on me sugarcakes." You snickered at the nickname. "Family troubles. Specifically his brother. Which is the main reason he's at my house right now." She hummed thoughtfully, meanwhile, Papyrus gently squeezed your arm, probably to keep himself from crying again. He whined softly to you, hiding his face into the crook of your neck while you talked. Such close proximity made your gut swirl with butterflies, but you brushed them off. "His brother is very very overprotective. So much so that I'm not allowed to be his friend because I'm..." 

You gestured to yourself. "A human." She nodded again, taking a quiet pause. "Well do you know why he's like that?" Papy croaked softly, tilting his head up. "i...i got attacked by humans...last saturday.. and (y/n) saved me.." He hid his face again, wrapping his arms tighter around your midsection. Jesse awwed again and threw a hand up to her forehead, faking a dreamy sigh. "Oh (Y/N)! Suddenly this knightess in shining armor! I see why your big friend is so smitten with you." You choked up again, grumbling while you tried to continue. "What do you think I should do Jess? I'm kind of at wit's end right now. And it's only been a week! A week and this is so hectic it's daunting." 

Jesse leaped from her seat and threw her hands up, striking a dramatic pose. "You gotta fight for him! Fight for your friend! You saved him! His brother should be grateful for that, right?" Papy nodded, still hiding away in your shoulder. "He needs to learn that you aren't trouble. You obviously don't mean harm, so he needs to get his panties out of that twist and let go." You nodded tiredly at her, leaning back into Papy's arms. He whispered something to you, a very quiet but sincere "thank you" that sent a chill right through your body. Jesse was still ranting about fighting for him and she was completely right. 

A bit more inspirational talk and sharing stories of Europe once more, Jesse told you she had to turn in for the night. You wished her goodnight and Papy did too before she hung up. You smiled fondly. You really did appreciate Jesse. She was always so helpful and cheery, it brightened your mood exponentially. Papyrus set you down and stood up, stretching slowing as to not touch the ceiling accidentally. He sighed in contentment after a while, slouching back into the couch with a slight grin on his face. You smiled back at him, hoping he was feeling a bit better. Suddenly a thought came to mind. 

"Papy...you wanna go to this special place I like to take walks to?" He perked up, eyes focused on you. "s-sure..we can..go.." He smiled softly and with a firm pat on his shoulder, you told him to get dressed. You did the same, taking a quick shower and typing your hair back in a messy ponytail. A pair of sweats and a hoodie would suffice for now and apparently, Papyrus thought the same. A grey hoodie with a pair of black sweats was enough for him as you both left your apartment. You made your way towards work but kept walking until you reached the outskirts of the city. It was about an hour walk, filled with peaceful silence between the both of you. You stopped at a spare vending machine along the way, coffee for him and a bottle of apple juice for yourself.

Just when you got to the more wooded area of the outskirts, you pointed over the small hill and just in the distance, you could see the abandoned farmhouse you would take walks to once a month. He oohed at it quietly, trying to stay in tune with your walking pace. His long gangly legs made it a bit hard, but he managed. 

Papyrus watched you giddily ramble on about the different plant life and fauna you saw out on your monthly walk. The sheer delight on your face made his soul flutter in his ribcage. A massive relief from the frantic pulsing and rapid beating it did last night. This was peaceful, calm and all around soothing. You seemed to really care for him in the week you'd known him. He thought you would just...give up after his brother's attempt at "retrieving him". But that brilliant green only flashed brighter when you had asked your friend for advice. A new found sense of preservation for not only yourself but for him.

Its what drew him to you. You always looked so content with what you were doing and your bright smiles made him feel at ease. If he had any doubt he liked you before, then there was no denying it now. As the grass turned into more gravel under his feet, he looked up to the shaggy barn, overun with vines and floura of all kinds. Foxgloves, poppies scattered around the front lawn, orchids dancing along the walls and more. He stood a few feet away, taking in the sight before he pulled out his phone to snag a picture. 

You had your back turned to him, standing peacefully in front of the barn as an onlooker. Perfect. He snapped the picture, looking over to you and seeing the bliss on your face, your green soul casting a soft glow along the vibrant flowers. To top it off, the sun was just setting. Something about you and the way you carried yourself was truly enchanting. You liked walking a lot. He knew that for a fact now. Maybe after his brother warmed up to you, he could take you for a walk through the underground...

He wanted to. He still wanted to properly thank you. At that thought, he saw you look at your bracelet. The one he made for you. A meek smile graced your lips and he could have sworn your soul flared up at the sight of the charm. A wide smile spread on his face, a very wide one. You noticed too. Looking up at him and giggling like a schoolgirl. A light-hearted laugh.

Everything was peaceful. This was peaceful. You were so charming and sweet. 

The only problem was you didn't see his brother step out of the barn behind you. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys mad at me or what?


	7. Marigolds are prettier when the sun is gone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OK THIS IS JUST A TAD BIT OVERDUE BECAUSE I WAS SPENDING MY TUESDAY TRYING TO RELAX. THIS COMPLETELY SLIPPED MY MIND UNTIL LAST MINUTE. AS IM WRITING THIS LITTLE BIT ITS EXACTLY 11:46 PM FOR ME. SO I GOT TIME. FOLLOW MY TWITTER WHERE I POST ART. 
> 
> https://twitter.com/lee_yukayla
> 
> Warning: The beginning of the chapter contains vomit.

In the few seconds it took Sans to leave the barn, Papyrus had gotten a firm grip on your soul, flinging you up as high as he could. You screamed. Screamed so loud you were sure the people in the city could hear you. As you flailed wildly in the air, body twisting to face the setting sun it felt like everything froze. You stay suspended, looking towards the horizon wearily. What had just happened? Why? What were you doing? The gravity pulled you back down to Earth. You fell fast, so fast you didn't think you would even be able to break your fall. But he caught you. The air left your lungs and you started to vomit, but that familiar feeling of cool rushed over you. 

And you were back in your apartment. You heaved, and coughed, choked, retched. Everything you'd eaten today, apple juice and granola bar included, came spilling out onto the floor in a disgusting flurry. Admittedly it wasn't much. But it was enough to make the bile in your throat burn and flare your esophagus up to hell. Tears pricked your eyes and you hunkered down on your knees, trying to balance yourself again. Papy was patting your back frantically, obviously distressed. You looked up at him, light headed and still winded, motioning to the kitchen.

"Bucket.. bucket.. under the..t-the sink.." You choked out somehow. He nodded and leaped over the sofa, loud clanking and battering out of your field of view, and he came back with a bucket in his gloved hands. He set it under you and you heaved again, mostly just congealed spittle and bits of granola pieces, but less to clean up after. Guiltily, you started to rethink if this friendship was _really_ worth it. But then Jesse's words echoed in your head. The more logical side of you spoke up as well, telling you that even if you broke off the friendship, that wouldn't stop Boss coming after you anyway. 

You heard faint sobbing again, looking up from the bucket to see Papyrus keeled over his own body, hiccuping and shaking. He was mumbling something to you, you couldn't tell what. You set the bucket down, scooting up to him and gently patting his back. You wiped your mouth off with your sweater sleeve, noting that you'd just wash it later. He was mumbling sorry, over and over again. Your heart sank. You hushed him and grabbed him, careful not to smear the stained sleeve on his hoodie, and hushed him. You cooed and pet his skull, rocking gently side to side to console him. Tears finally spilled down your cheeks, making you just as emotional as your friend. God, why? Why you? 

You just wanted a peaceful walk. Something happened. It dawned upon you that Papyrus did something because someone else, probably Boss, had followed you both. You sighed, still gently petting his skull to keep him calm. After a few minutes, which felt like hours, he quieted down. 

"i...im sorry.." He choked out one last time. "Don't be... it's ok." He sniffled, which made you inwardly chuckle at the thought of him doing that without a nose. He nestled his face into the crook of your neck, still shaking and clinging to you dearly. You pet his skull again tiredly, your body still reeling from nearly being sent to space. You both were settled on the floor by the couch, almost comfortably. Say for the puddle of vomit sitting a few feet away. You pulled back hesitantly from Papyrus, watching as he whined and stood, clambering clumsily onto the couch. He curled up and hugged one of the throw pillows, obviously a substitute for you. 

You stood and waddled to the bathroom, grabbing a rag and some disinfectant to finally get rid of the nasty puddle in the middle of your floor. A thorough scrubbing later and lots of back and forth to the bathroom, the vomit had been cleaned and you were exhausted. Papyrus had fallen asleep before the sun fully set. It was dark now, and part of you was dreading Monday. You really needed to unwind somehow. Listen to music? No, you wouldn't end up sleeping. Take a bath? Yeah, you needed one bad anyway. 

You grabbed your pajamas and slugged to the bathroom, tossing your clothes over the towel rack and quickly stripping down. You sighed and turned on the water, watching as it filled the tub little by little. The steam rose and billowed in the air wistfully, making you even more tired just by watching it. Once the tub was full enough you slid in, your muscles finally relaxing enough to let you feel comfortable. You sunk into the water and sighed, twisting your body just enough to lay in the tub, your hair waving in the water like seaweed. You hummed quietly to yourself and let your mind wander while the hot water soothed your tense muscles. 

What would you do if Boss followed you to work tomorrow? What would you do if he assaulted you while you were alone? What if he hurt Papyrus _because_ of you? You shuddered at the thought. You finally closed your eyes, tiredly in fact, and let the water do its magic. 

On the couch, Papyrus stirred and fumbled around, finally shooting up from the sofa and clutching his chest. His soul stung in his ribcage, casting a faint gold glow through his shirt. It looked like someone had painted lines all over his chest, the light seeping through the slits in his ribcage. He leaned back on the sofa, still shaken up from earlier. You had found somewhere for you both to go and his brother had to ruin that. He hated him. 

He could have sworn he hated him. But it was his only family. He couldn't hate him. But he did. His head lolled to the side, looking down the hall and seeing the dim yellow lighting that cast from under the bathroom door. You were probably busy and he didn't want to disturb you. Instead, he got up and took a shortcut back to the place you had taken him. The barn.

His eyes had to adjust to the glowing blue moon, making everything here look even more mesmerizing. The flowers settled just on the face of the barn had an ethereal feel about them. Marigolds.. orchids...

They all looked enchanting in the night light. He smiled softly to himself, looking around in the grass for what he had come back for. It glimmered in the moonlight and he snagged it from the grass angrily. His brother's badge. The badge that he never wanted to lose. Papyrus knew he had knocked it off of his uniform when he came out of the barn. He was hoping it was still here and sure enough. It was. He smiled and took a shortcut back to your apartment, falling onto the couch in a bony heap. 

He tucked the badge into his sweatpants and chuckled in satisfaction. He could get back at his brother someway or another and this was how. You were still in the bathroom, so he laid back and thought of...you. You didn't kick him out after what he did. Why? You were too kind almost. Too nice. But a small part of him hoped you cared for him as much as he cared for you. You were just...too good. You helped him, every time he obviously needed it. And now you were keeping him relatively safe. He sighed dreamily, running a hand over his face. He peeked down the hall again and another thought flickered through his mind. 

The image of you, either taking a shower or sitting in a bath. He felt guilty instantly, face shining brightly in the dark living room just at the thought of you nude. He shook it off quickly, gaining his composure just as you stepped out of the bathroom, towel draped over your shoulders and a set of baggy sweats tossed on. You had on a tank top this time, outlining your figure perfectly. He coughed into his hand, scrambling to sit up. 

He watched you swivel around on your feet to flop into the armchair next to the sofa, looking as if you were gonna pass out right there. Your eyes drifted to look at him and once again, it felt like time froze. He looked back at you, eyes half-lidded and tired. He blinked once, breaking the eye contact, watching as you lolled your head away from him, almost as if you were embarrassed. Your soul flared up when you looked away, twirling and casting a mint green glow on the room.

Papyrus always marveled at how only he could see that glow. That kaleidoscope effect that bounced off the walls and made everything look like shattered glass. You. Wholesome you. He smiled and leaned back on the sofa, resting his eyes. He told himself he wouldn't sleep too soon but...he was tired. And so were you. 

You fell asleep in the armchair. Stiff and unforgiving bastard. You shot up from your seat, putting your hands flat on the coffee table. You were still somewhat nauseous from the endeavor that was yesterday, shaky and clammy, you stood up and went to get dressed for work. Your brain was scrambled thoroughly, but you somehow drifted through your morning routine of getting ready. Papyrus was slumped on the couch, still snoozing. You couldn't leave without telling him but you didn't wanna wake him. 

You hastily scribbled a note down and a bunch of stuff about where everything was in your apartment before bolting out of the door. You looked around quickly to see any sign of Boss and kept bolting until you got to work. A hefty jog and a can of apple juice later, you stepped through the doors before you realized...

You work the night shift. 

Every.

Single.

Day. 

Your coworker looked at you bewildered and frankly, you felt the same. Jim and Anthony looked at you, both with shit-eating grins. "(Y/N) you're here...really early." You scoffed and palmed your face tiredly, immediately going to the backroom. You'd just tell your boss you came in too early. It only ever happened once in a blue moon anyway. Pushing one of the palette carts out into the store, you tiredly started organizing shelves.

Halfway through the second palette though, it hit you that some of the shipment was missing. There was supposed to be 400 units right? You were short by 3. You brushed it off and mistook for faulty counting. Three boxes of cereal wouldn't wreak havoc, would it? You shrugged and went back to the storage room to get the next palette.

Back at home, Papyrus rolled onto the floor, catching himself for once and supporting his torso on the coffee table. His chin pushed the piece of paper that was resting atop it half way off, making him grab it to see what it said. It was from you! Your pretty handwriting filled the page, along with his soul. You were nowhere to be found in the apartment, judging by how he couldn't feel your soul pulse anywhere. His eyes drifted to the page to see what you had written.

_Papyrus, I'll be at work today, so I won't be there until around 12!_

_There's plenty of food in the fridge, please don't burn the place down while I'm gone._

_You have my number if you need anything and here's a list of stuff if you need it:_

_Fruit- bottom left fridge drawer_

_Veggies- bottom right fridge drawer_

_Cereal- cabinet above the sink_

_Bread- fridge top_

_Spoons and silverware- drawer by the sink on the right_

_Pots and pans- bottom cabinet on the left of the sink_

_Have a good day till I get back and be safe!_

He sighed, slouching against the table sadly. Maybe he could..stop by and see you at work? You would be gone all day...He grumbled and stood up, turning to face the kitchen. Maybe a sandwich could clear his mind. He looked to the top of the fridge and- there were 3 boxes of cereal sitting on it. 

Huh. You must be a little disorganized..

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOOOOOOOOWEE. I'm havin a ball with this tbh. Sorry these chapters are a tad short. The buildup is fun...and I have something big in store.~


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